Whether you've been out of school for a month or a decade, that nursing school information fades fast. It's not just that you only superficially memorized it for the test- it's a lot! That's why anyone who takes NCLEX needs to commit to a dedicated review source, not just a question bank.
I have long believed (and taught my students) that there is no strategy more effective for NCLEX than knowing its content backward and forward.
It doesn't matter whether you're taking the PN or RN - you need to know the same information. They'll just ask you different questions.
I have taken the time to compile a list of the most popular NCLEX study resources below. I have rated each source with a grade and have also taken the time to explain why the grade was given. They are listed from BEST to WORST. This post will be updated at least once a quarter with the latest information.
1. NCLEX Simplified - A+ - $20 (ebook), $40 (hard copy)
(Full disclosure: I'm the author.)
When I did my own studying for NCLEX, it drove me nuts that there wasn't a good content review source out there. All I had were two giant Kaplan books that were an absolute waste of time to read.
I started compiling Google Docs of information that I kept seeing in questions over and over again... and NCLEX Simplified was born. I've been updating it obsessively ever since. If I didn't think it was the best, I would take it down and work on it without sleep until it was the best after all. It's my baby! More than that, it was born from a passion I have to help nursing students the very best that I can. That's why it stays cheap and will always be cheapest directly from my own personal site.
2. Mark Klimek - B+ - $375 live review but free pirated audio, if you can find them
This guy does an AWESOME content review. He really does. I'm talking twenty-one hours of lecture over the course of three days in live sessions. And that's really the only problem: he doesn't record his lectures and sell them legitimately. He doesn't have a book. He does live review, and that's it.
That said, there are about a million pirated audio files floating around the web. If you go to any NCLEX forum and look up "Mark K" or ask for "Mark K lectures," someone has them. If you don't, I certainly do. They've popped up enough times!
His review is excellent. His grade was lowered because it's long as hell (seriously, what does he go on about for 21 hours? My own audio lectures are over in about 12 hours.) and because the live review is EXPENSIVE. $375 plus travel expenses? Ain't nobody got time for that. As someone who lived off of ramen and cereal in nursing school, I couldn't have afforded this review no matter how great it is.
3. Kaplan - C+ - $499 live in-person and online review, $399 self-paced review, $27.39 for 2019 (hard copy)
Ah, Kaplan. You did help me pass my NCLEX. It's just that you had so many shortcomings that I created an ENTIRE TEXTBOOK to address them. Oh, let me count the ways... the live review is over-priced. You discuss and encourage the decision tree, which is the bane of my tutoring existence. (Maybe I should thank you for the business, though, because that decision tree has failed out many a promising nursing student whom I have tutored to success.)
What else? Your content review doesn't go deep enough where it should. Your recorded lectures are the most boring recorded lectures I've ever watched, and that includes any job orientation I've ever sat through. Plus the length is ridiculous! A 500+ page review of content? Nobody wants or needs that for an accurate yet concise review.
Basically, you've been relying on your name as the "industry standard" for too long and that doesn't cut it anymore. You've let down far too many people for me to recommend you. No more!
4. Lippincott Q & A Review for NCLEX - C+ - $54 (hard copy)
Lippincott has a soft spot in my heart because their questions are probably the best-written out there besides Uworld. They always drill down into the NCLEX details... but sometimes they go a little too far. In this case, 1,152 pages too far. What kind of review is that?! The kind you take your whole life to review? If you were planning on passing your NCLEX within six weeks, this book will demoralize and dishearten you. It only earned this high a grade because its price is cheaper than some other ones and its information is nothing if not thorough.
5. Saunders Comprehensive Review - D - $54 (hard copy)
(Upon researching for this article, I discovered that both Lippincott and Saunders have EXACTLY the same amount of pages for their NCLEX review- 1,152. What are the odds??)
If Lippincott dives to the depths for scraps of information you'll never see in your lifetime, Saunders scrapes the top tenth of superficial knowledge you'll need and tells you, incorrectly, that that's all you'll need. Somehow, it also takes quite a lot of pages to do so. Please don't bother with this review. You will fail your NCLEX.
6. Hurst Review - D- - $27 (hard copy)
Hurst is a company that preys on poor nursing students, most of whom are working two full-time jobs trying to get their LPN and who can only afford the worst review source possible. It skims information and is too general. I've even found some of its explanations of complex systems (such as endocrine) to be incorrect and have typos of all things.
Do NOT waste your money.
Who else would you like to get rated on the list? Feel free to comment suggestions. I accept any and all challengers!